


Heroes Don't Take Sick Days

by beloved_key



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Allura and Coran appear briefly, Illness, Shiro (Voltron) Needs a Hug, Sickfic, Team as Family, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-05
Updated: 2018-12-05
Packaged: 2019-09-12 01:05:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16863337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beloved_key/pseuds/beloved_key
Summary: “Oh, please, you don’t really think we can’t handle one day without you, right?”With almost sitcom-like timing, the alarm went off.





	Heroes Don't Take Sick Days

It took about .5 seconds for Shiro’s team to notice he really wasn’t feeling well. To be fair, he’d stumbled into the kitchen, paler than a ghost, and immediately almost hacked up a lung, forcing Lance and Keith to jump up and support him to the table, helping him sit down.

“Shiro, why did you even get up today?” Keith asked. Shiro grimaced, trying to force his fevered brain to form a response.

Apparently, he didn’t manage it soon enough, because after a second Lance piped up. “Seriously, you look like hell, man! I told you to take it easy after yesterday.”

Shiro shot him a sharp look, and Lance snapped his mouth shut. Lance had caught Shiro struggling with the act of making tea yesterday evening, after everyone else had retired early, exhausted from a harrowing mission. Luckily, no one else commented on this, or else they just thought said mission was what Lance was referring to.

“Yeah, you definitely have a fever. I can tell from over here.” That didn’t stop Hunk from leaning forward and resting the back of his hand against Shiro’s forehead. “I really think you should go back to bed, Shiro. I don’t like how hot that feels.”

“I really can’t--” Shiro croaked, but Pidge cut him off.

“Oh, please, you don’t really think we can’t handle one day without you, right?” She smiled slightly to soften her sardonic tone. “Just take a day to rest, and you can be back to babysitting duty in no time--”

With almost sitcom-like timing, the alarm went off. Shiro forced himself to his feet and led the way to the control room before anyone else could protest.

“Princess, what’s going on--” He asked. If Allura noticed anything off about his raspy voice, she didn’t comment on it.

“We need you to form Voltron and buy us time to get a wormhole up!” Allura commanded.

“Small Galra fleet, likely just an unlucky patrol, but more than I’d care to handle on our own.” Coran added, glancing up from his control console briefly. “I know you’re all exhausted, but we need to get out of here! Just buy us about ten minutes.”

“Shiro’s--” Keith tried to protest, but Shiro cut him off.

“We’re on it. Everyone, to your lions!” Four uneasy pairs of eyes glanced up at him, but Shiro sent them a commanding glare. Not now. Later.

Reluctantly, the others made for their lions. No time to armor up, but Shiro was actually grateful for that; despite the chills that wracked his frame, he knew from his night of tossing and turning that trying to cover up would just lead to him becoming overheated in an instant. If he was chilly, fine. That’d just keep him awake during the fight.

Forming Voltron was an exercise in concentration on the best of days, but today it would take all of Shiro’s focus. As soon as he lay his hands on Black’s controls, he felt a faint pulse of questioning from her end of their still-unsteady bond.

“I’ll manage.” Shiro reassured his lion. “Just one fight. I’ll manage.”

Black acquiesced, obligingly flying off at Shiro’s command, falling into formation with her four siblings. Shiro’s lungs prickled with the need to cough, his nose felt clogged all the way up behind his eyes, his hands shook on the controls, but he forced himself to distance it all; focus on Voltron. Form Voltron.

The actual formation of Voltron was the hardest part. Once they were together, the connection between the Paladins and Lions was so intuitive that they almost didn’t need vocal commands. Almost.

He could feel the others’ even more tuned in to him than usual. Any other time he would’ve felt touched by their concern, but right now they had a Galra fleet to hold off.

“Stop fussing and focus on the task at hand!” Shiro ordered firmly, pretending that his chattering teeth and mild voice crack didn’t severely reduce how authoritative he sounded. “The main ship isn’t charging its weapons, but we need to take care of those small fighter squadrons before they take out the castle’s shield! Ready?”

Uncertainty and worry filtered into his mind on all four sides, but his team voiced their assent anyway, Lance and Hunk working in tandem to approach the enemy squadrons.

“We should make this quick and form sword now.” Pidge recommended. Normally, Shiro would protest that it didn’t seem necessary--they were just buying a little time, and Pidge was rarely the type to jump the gun anyway--but the overwhelming assent from the others’ ends of their bond overcame their leader’s weakened will.

“Alright. Form sword!” Keith and Pidge obliged, readying the blade just as Lance and Hunk brought Voltron around behind one of the squads. Shiro’s lungs finally had enough just as Voltron made their first strike; he forced his tearing eyes to remain open and focused on the action as his chest convulsed painfully, trying to expel whatever was making it hurt so much.

“Shiro?” All of them were worrying, Shiro could feel it, but Lance was the only one brave enough to mention it aloud after being scolded back in the command center. Shiro finally got his lungs under control, and grit his teeth.

“Focus, Lance!” He snapped, voice even rougher after that latest fit. “There’s a squadron attacking the castle’s north side, engage now!”

He felt bad at the mild pang of hurt he got from Lance’s end, but set it aside; the others couldn’t waste their time fussing over him, not in the middle of a battle. They had to learn this.

“So only you’re allowed to worry about us during battle?” Keith muttered. Maybe it was the paladin bond, but he was always a bit more defensive of his teammates when Voltron was formed. Shiro’s headache throbbed to a new peak with the stab of irritation from Keith. He allowed himself to close his eyes for one long blink before reopening them.

“Not now, Keith. Watch your aim!” He grit out, just in time for Keith to adjust his angle to take out all the fighters in the squadron, instead of just a few.

“Our flank, on our flank!” Hunk cried out. Startled, Shiro spotted a barrage of lasers bearing down on them, too stunned and out of it to call an order to dodge. Without waiting to be told, Pidge and Keith formed shield, just in time to block the attack.

Shiro’s mind was growing foggier by the second, but he scanned the surrounding area for potential threats. “H-Heavy fire on the east side, engage!”

There were several other close calls following that one (all of which fueled Shiro’s frustration with himself; he should have seen them, dammit!) before Allura gave the call to return to the castle. Voltron disassembled and returned to their hangars, just in time for the castle to speed through the wormhole.

With the heat of battle and the paladin bond no longer distracting him, Shiro leaned forward heavily on his knees, cough after wracking cough forcing their way out of him. By the time he managed to crack his eyes open again, there was a small puddle of… Okay, ew. Maybe he was sicker than he thought.

Shiro got shakily to his feet, finally making his way out of his lion to see the others waiting outside, hovering uncertainly. Shiro stumbled on the last step, and Lance jumped forward to catch him. They made eye contact, and Lance blushed, making to back off again.

“It’s fine.” Shiro breathed, voice barely there. “Sorry for snapping.”

Lance managed an uneasy grin. “It’s okay. You were kinda stressed, right?”

Shiro’s weak laugh devolved into a rough cough. “Yeah, just a little.”

“Okay, now you’re going to bed.” Hunk insisted. He rarely ever used any sort of authoritative tone, but when he did, he meant business. As he made his way over and firmly took ahold of Shiro’s other arm, the black paladin knew that this was one of those times.

“Or what, you’ll gang up on me?” Shiro had meant it as a joke, but none of them, not even Lance, seemed to think it was funny. He sighed, allowing himself to be escorted to the living quarters section of the ship. “Allura will want to debrief.”

“You’re not getting out of bed rest.” Pidge stated flatly. “Keith and I’ll go fill in Allura and Coran after we get you settled. Lance and Hunk will stay behind to look after you.”

She glanced at Keith, who nodded. Suddenly, Shiro realized that they must have been discussing their strategy while waiting for him to emerge. He found himself filled with a strange sort of rueful pride.

“So what would I have to do for you to resort to tying me to the bed?” Shiro muttered. He expected a laugh, but to his indignance, the other four just shared a knowing glance. “Great. Just checking.”

**Author's Note:**

> I loveloveLOVE this trope; fearless leader being knocked down and out by an illness, and the team having to step up? Sign me tf UP! As always, feel free to comment/kudos, love you!


End file.
